Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia is using Chinese satellites to photograph nuclear power stations in Ukraine, potentially preparing to strike them. Zelenskyy made the allegations during an interview with ABC News.
“Russia has been using Chinese satellites and taking photos of the details of the objects on nuclear facilities,” Zelenskyy said. “Our experience is that if Russia takes photos of certain objects, then there is a threat of strikes against the nuclear objects, so that is a nuclear terror.”
Zelenskyy’s statement follows similar warnings from other Ukrainian officials. The alleged targets include transmission substations and other infrastructure at the nuclear stations.
Russia remains silent on the allegations, but Ukraine and other countries have accused Russia of targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in the past, resulting in significant damage and disruptions to the country’s power grid.
These latest allegations come on the heels of a report that Russia launched a massive attack on an infrastructure facility in Zaporizhzhia, firing four missiles and a swarm of at least 81 drones. One person was killed, and six others were injured.
Although Ukrainian defense systems managed to take down 66 of the drones, the attack still caused significant damage to energy infrastructure, leaving some areas of Poltova without power.
Russia’s assault on Ukraine’s power grid started back in 2022, with the Kremlin managing to damage or destroy most of Ukraine’s thermal power generating capacity.
The situation is raising concerns among Ukraine’s Western allies. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said China is providing direct assistance to Russia, including military components. Campbell described this as “a very substantial effort on the part of China to help sustain, build and diversify various elements of the Russian war machine.”
Ukraine’s foreign minister is calling on the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog and Ukrainian allies to set up permanent monitoring missions at the country’s nuclear plants.
The ongoing conflict severely impacts Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, cutting the country’s energy generation capacity by more than half. Before the war, Ukraine generated around 30 gigawatts of power, but now the country struggles to produce just nine. As a result, rolling blackouts are being implemented to stabilize the grid.